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| Taken by Chham Kamngan, at វត្តគាស់ក្រឡ ស្រុកគាស់ក្រឡ ខេត្តបាត់ដំបង |
Pchum
Ben is a Buddhist festival which
held for 15 days. There are 14 days for Kan Ben (កាន់បិណ្ឌ),
from the first days of Kan Ben Day (ថ្ងៃកាន់បិណ្ឌ) to the 14th
day of Pchum Ben, while the last one is called Pchum Ben (ភ្ជុំបិណ្ឌ) or Ban
Thom (បិណ្ឌធំ).
In general, all civil servants as well as students can take a three-day off from
14th
kaet (កើត) to 1st roch (រោច) Asoch month (ខែអស្សុជ), that why in this year we are holiday
for three day from 19th-21st September.
This Pchum Ben festival is ccelebrated to
dedicate to the ancestors who died for receiving good merit (ផល្ល),
since the Khmer people always believe that the ancestors could not go to heaven
at all, some of them may be reborn in human beings, and some could born in
animal, etc. Therefore, in order to repay to all of them; the Cambodian people always
cook food for the monks as an offering and some to the needy people.
Cambodians nowadays seem to be
changing their traditions gradually. They changed their form of celebration
differently from years to years. Five years ago, Cambodian people brought so
much rice to the pagoda, and then there were too much abundance of the food throughout
the area. This last two or three years this acts can’t be at some place, why?
According to the current activities of the Cambodian people, we see that
they are changing the way what they used to do. To some, they have offered the
money rather than food to the monks. Is it better? This is a question that
contemporary Cambodians are thinking and practicing during each religious
ceremony, not just during Pchum Ben festival.
With my observation, I could see that for clothes wearing, some ladies and lay people were changing from short clothes to Thai-wearing styles which are different from the last 4 years. Obviously, in my hometown, Kandal Steung district, I have observed that most women were wearing black embroidery skirts rather than silk ones or other traditional attires.
The factor that makes them decide to use this type of skirt is because it is more comfortable to wear, easier and not hard to wash. They can wear these skirts to join other events such as small party, going for a walk or going work.
Overall, we see that Pchum Ben Festival is a truly remarkable change, including clothes-wearing styles and the atmosphere of the festival. Such a change could be acceptable; however, we should also think what should be changed and what should not be changed. Khmer cultures should be preserved and practiced or else one day it will disappear from our society
With my observation, I could see that for clothes wearing, some ladies and lay people were changing from short clothes to Thai-wearing styles which are different from the last 4 years. Obviously, in my hometown, Kandal Steung district, I have observed that most women were wearing black embroidery skirts rather than silk ones or other traditional attires.
The factor that makes them decide to use this type of skirt is because it is more comfortable to wear, easier and not hard to wash. They can wear these skirts to join other events such as small party, going for a walk or going work.
Overall, we see that Pchum Ben Festival is a truly remarkable change, including clothes-wearing styles and the atmosphere of the festival. Such a change could be acceptable; however, we should also think what should be changed and what should not be changed. Khmer cultures should be preserved and practiced or else one day it will disappear from our society
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